Papers by Joseph McClernon
Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005
Context: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been associated with increased risk ... more Context: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been associated with increased risk of smoking, and some studies have suggested that inattentive symptoms specifically may underlie this risk. Few studies, however, have examined ADHD symptoms in nonclinical samples to determine the extent to which the number of symptoms-independent of the full diagnosis-confer risk for smoking-related outcomes.
Psychopharmacology, 2006
Rationale Nicotine has been shown in a variety of studies in humans and experimental animals to i... more Rationale Nicotine has been shown in a variety of studies in humans and experimental animals to improve cognitive function. Nicotinic treatments are being developed as therapeutic treatments for cognitive dysfunction. Objectives Critical for the development of nicotinic therapeutics is an understanding of the neurobehavioral bases for nicotinic involvement in cognitive function. Methods Specific and diverse cognitive functions affected by nicotinic treatments are reviewed, including attention, learning, and memory. The neural substrates for these behavioral actions involve the identification of the critical pharmacologic receptor targets, in particular brain locations, and how those incipient targets integrate with broader neural systems involved with cognitive function. Results Nicotine and nicotinic agonists can improve working memory function, learning, and attention. Both α4β2 and α7 nicotinic receptors appear to be critical for memory function. The hippocampus and the amygdala in particular have been found to be important for memory, with decreased nicotinic activity in these areas impairing memory. Nicotine and nicotinic analogs have shown promise for inducing cognitive improvement. Positive therapeutic effects have been seen in initial studies with a variety of cognitive dysfunctions, including Alzheimer's disease, age-associated memory impairment, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Conclusions Discovery of the behavioral, pharmacological, and anatomic specificity of nicotinic effects on learning, memory, and attention not only aids the understanding of nicotinic involvement in the basis of cognitive function, but also helps in the development of novel nicotinic treatments for cognitive dysfunction. Nicotinic treatments directed at specific receptor subtypes and nicotinic cotreatments with drugs affecting interacting transmitter systems may provide cognitive benefits most relevant to different syndromes of cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Further research is necessary in order to determine the efficacy and safety of nicotinic treatments of these cognitive disorders.
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 1999
... David G. Gilbert, Darren M. Crauthers, Debra K. Mooney, F. Joseph McClernon, and Robert A. Je... more ... David G. Gilbert, Darren M. Crauthers, Debra K. Mooney, F. Joseph McClernon, and Robert A. Jensen, Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois ... smoking later in life (Best, Brown, Cameron, Manske & Santi, 1995; Brown, Lewinsohn, Seeley, & Wagner, 1996; Cherry & Kiernan ...
Neuropsychopharmacology, 2005
Drug cues have been shown to activate brain regions involved in attention, motivation, and reward... more Drug cues have been shown to activate brain regions involved in attention, motivation, and reward in addicted users. However, as studies have typically measured responses in only one state (ie drug abstinence), it is unclear whether observed activations represent amplification by abstinence or stable responses. Thus, the present study was designed to evaluate the stability of event-related responses to visual drug cues in dependent smokers (n = 13) using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging measures. Imaging was conducted following smoking as usual and following overnight abstinence, and self-reported craving measures were obtained before, during, and after scanning. Analysis of hemodynamic response (HDR) amplitudes in each of 13 regions of interest revealed larger responses to smoking compared to control cues in ventral anterior cingulate gyrus (vACG) and superior frontal gyrus. Responses to smoking cues in these and all other regions revealed no effects of abstinence/satiety, thus supporting the notion that cue-elicited brain responses are relatively stable. However, while the abstinence manipulation did not alter group-level responses to smoking cues, at the individual level, abstinence-induced changes in craving (abstinence minus satiety) were positively correlated with changes in HDR amplitude to smoking cues in frontal regions including left inferior frontal gyrus, left vACG, and bilateral middle frontal gyrus. These results suggest that brain responses to smoking cues, while relatively stable at the group level following short-term abstinence, may be modulated by individual differences in craving in response to abstinenceparticularly in regions subserving attention and motivation.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2002
Smoking abstinence responses were characterized in 96 female smokers. Participants completed subj... more Smoking abstinence responses were characterized in 96 female smokers. Participants completed subjective state measures twice per week for 5 weeks and were then randomly assigned to a group required to abstain for 31 days or a control group that continued to smoke. Financial incentives for biochemically verified abstinence resulted in an 81% completion rate. Abstinence-related increases in depression, tension, anger, irritability, and appetite showed little tendency to return to prequit levels and remained significantly elevated above smoke-group levels. In contrast to psychological components of anxiety, physical components decreased to smoke group levels by the 2nd week of abstinence. Trait depression and neuroticism predicted larger increased abstinence-associated negative affect. The Big Five personality dimensions predicted variance not associated with depressive traits.
Personality and Individual Differences, 1998
Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2004
Changes in physiology and attentional performance associated with smoking abstinence were charact... more Changes in physiology and attentional performance associated with smoking abstinence were characterized in 67 female smokers during low-stress and high-stress conditions. Abstinence was associated with decreases in cognitive performance, heart rate, and electroencephalographic (EEG) activation but with no change in serum estradiol or progesterone. Effects of quitting showed no tendency to resolve across the 31 days of abstinence. EEG deactivation and heart rate slowing were greater during a math task (high stress) than during relaxation (low stress). Individuals high in trait depression or nicotine dependence or with at least one dopamine D(2) receptor A1 allele experienced greater EEG deactivation following abstinence, especially in the right hemisphere during the stressful task. Thus, findings support the situation x trait adaptive response model of abstinence effects and emphasize the value of multiple dependent measures when characterizing abstinence responses.
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Papers by Joseph McClernon